BERLIN, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Germany Wednesday released records of former West German politicians compiled by communist East Germany's secret police, government officials said.
The 1969-1972 files -- from East Germany's now-defunct Stasi secret police archives -- offer glimpses into possible cooperation between members of West Germany's parliament and the East, Deutsche Welle Radio reported.
"We are releasing files on 16 parliamentarians who had codes written next to their names" that indicated "they may or may not have cooperated with the Stasi," Marianne Birthler, director of the state-held Stasi archives, told German broadcaster ZDF. The parliamentarians could also have been Stasi targets, she said.
Of particular interest is whether the files contain information about West German Chancellor Willy Brandt's ties to East Germany during the height of the Cold War, Deutsche Welle said.
Brandt resigned in 1974 after a close aide was exposed as an East German spy. Files on other lawmakers from that time could be release soon, a Stasi archives spokeswoman said.
